March 12

1572 – Valentine Smalcius was born in Gotha, Thuringia (now Germany). A Unitarian leader, he was active in the Socinian church through his friendship with Faustus Socinus and became pastor of the Socinian Church in Rakow, Poland. Smalcius fought for tolerance of other Protestant groups such as the Lutherans and Mennonites in Poland. Read more about the church in Poland here.